The Abilene reflector. [volume] (Abilene, Kan.) 1883-1888, 1887-11-24

hacked in pieces with their sabers, for
a warning to all who resisted their
robberies.
The entire treasure of Wood & Co.
was taken from the person of Yorke
and his valise; and the passengers, the
lady not excepted. were robbed of
every article they possessed, even to
their outer clothing When the Ladrones
left, their captain opened an en-
broidered jacket, revealing the form
of woman. and cried, with sheer:
You are men. Adios!"
When the stage, returning, entered
the patio of the Hotel Inturbide, with
the body of Mr.. Yorke. it was met by
Wood, to whom the lady-passenger de-
clared that his partner had been killed
by an Englishman of the band, whose
lower face was rudy, narrow and
thin, ending in little shadowy beard;
that he had reached into the coach,
and shot Yorke in the back, through
the open doorway of the opposite side,
as he was firing rapidly at the gang,
and that, as he withdrew his head, his
beard dropped from his chin, and she
had secured it.
At ten O'Clock, that morning, he
went to the English Bank with the
woman, and presented a check fol
, payment. As the teller laid down the
money he saw the little wad of beard
on the counter, picked it up, and,
looking at it curiOusly, said: What
! is this?" At the same moment, Mr..
Wood discovered that his companion
trembled violently and was becoming
alarmingly pale, and lost no time in
leaving the bank.
The woman was sure of the identity
of the man. and would listen to no pos
sibility of her mistake. As for Mr.
Edgar Wood, he was COMPOUNDED, but
he did the customary thing, and set an
English detective on the track of Mr..
Carlos Watfls, the teller of the En-
glish Bank of Mexico.
The next payment went to the line
in charge of paymaster and 4 mount
ed guard, of whom the chief was one
| of the most successful lddrOnes of Mex
leo; he gave safe conduct to the treas
ure, for which he was we'll paid.
Two months passed. No outward
sign indicated any depravity on the
part of Mr.. Watfils. He lived modest
ly. and seemed a retiring, rather studi-
Gus man. His sole dissipation was his
horseback-ride each morning and
night.
The time had come for another pay
ment to the men of the contractor, and
again Wood determined to go in per-
son with the money, and by stage.
This time, he selected a day when a
fair complement of Mexican men, hav-
ing commercial relations with Vera
Cruz, would travel, and went accom-
panied also by two Americans, armed
with rifles and revolvers.
The English detective, with a COM
panion, both well-armed. rode out in
| the same direction a haf-hOur after
the stage left The road had not been
So infested of late, but the Americans
understood the danger to which they
were exposed in the transportation OF
treasure, and made their disposition
accordingly. Mr.. Wood and one COM
panion occupied the front seat of the
coach, looking to the rear; the third
man of the party sat with the driver,
being crack shot with Winchester
rifle.
When they stopped for coffee, at
eight o clock, no one had appeared to
modest the stage, or create suspicion.
As they left the little inn the detective
appeared in sight, but the stage made
no delay. and the party were again on
their way.
Suddenly the inside passengers de-
tected the effort of the driver to stop
his cumbrous team, and heard the voice
of the American by his side shout to
him: IF you stop, I'll kill You; drive
on and drive hard" Then a rife-shot,
and another shout rs he passed down
his rife, and called for a fresh one,
which he received at once.
Mr.. Wood and his companions, look
ing from the coach, saw they were
pursued by eight horsemen, who were
now within two hundred yards ut the
rear. Leaning from the coach-window
he cried out to the driver: IF those
fellows catch us, you are dead mani"
The threat told wonderfully on the
speed of the team.
Meanwhile the band approached,
and the three Americans fired togeth-
er, throwing the lddrOneS into con-
fusion and forcing halt; but they
rallied at once, and six horsemen
of the eight were drawing near, when
the drivers compa Mon by another
shot brought a man to the ground. At
this moment the detective and his
guard appeared in the rear of the
band, and Mr. Wood ordered the driver
to slow down. The robbers discovered
the trick. for turning, they saw the re-
enforcement in their rear, and lost no
time in leaving the road, and making
of across the valley toward the mount
aims.
The stage met no further adventure,
and Mr.. Wood was able to return to
Mexico in a week. The afternoon of
his arrival he accompanied the English
bank manager and the detective to the
hospital of Guadalupe, and found there,
to the surprise of the manager. the
teller, Mr.. Carlos Wattils, suffering
from a shattered leg.
If Watfils were tried in Mexico. it is